Spring 2008 Final Exam Survey

Committee on Planning and Priorities (CPP)

Paula A.Y. MaasCenter for Institutional Effectiveness

Spring and Fall Final Exam periods have very different schedules◦ Reading days◦ Exam days

Number of exams per day Length of day

Some of the difference results from when the semester begins ◦ (based upon Martin Luther King Holiday)

Background

CPP designed three surveys and invited participation after Spring 2008 final exams were over◦ Students◦ Faculty◦ Staff

Each survey had different questions Plenty of room for comments Purpose of all was: “How effective was the

final exam process in Spring 2008?”

Survey

Student and Faculty response rates were good Student respondents closely matched enrolled TCNJ

students for both class level and School of reported major. More full-time faculty than adjuncts responded to the

survey (compared to the numbers employed at TCNJ) More faculty from the School of Science and less from

Education and the Arts & Communication responded than would be expected.

34 staff members responded (but we only expected those staff who interacted with students, faculty or the exam process to respond).

Staff responses were merged into three groups for analysis purposes

Respondents

Class LevelRespondents Enrolled Students

Number Percent Number Percent

Freshmen 434 26% 1581 25%

Sophomore 495 29% 1515 24%

Junior 409 24% 1559 25%

Senior 345 21% 1509 24%

Non-matriculant 0 0% 41 1%

Total 1683 100% 6205 100%

Student Respondents1683 students responded – a 27% response rate

Student Respondents1683 students responded – a 27% response rate

School Respondents Enrolled Students

Number Percent Number Percent

The Arts & Communication

144 9% 599 10%

Business 266 16% 1098 18%

Culture & Society 451 27% 1664 27%

Education 217 13% 754 12%

Engineering 118 7% 431 7%

Nursing, Health, & Exercise Science

121 7% 560 9%

Science 357 21% 1052 17%

Not Available / Other 9 1% 47 1%

Total 1683 100% 6205 100%

Faculty Respondents141 faculty responded – a 40% response rate

Faculty Appointment

Survey Respondents TCNJ

Number Percent Number Percent

Full-time 107 75.9% 335 45.7%

Part-time 5 3.5% 21 2.9%

Adjunct 29 20.6% 377 51.4%

Total 141 733

Faculty Respondents141 faculty responded – a 40% response rate

Faculty School

Survey Respondents TCNJ

Number Percent Number Percent

Arts & Communication (AM)

11 7.8% 98 13%

Business (BN) 13 9.2% 57 8%

Culture & Society (CS) 48 34.0% 200 27%

Education (ED) 8 5.7% 176 24%

Engineering (EG) 3 2.1% 29 4%

Nursing, Health, Ex.Sc. (NH) 8 5.7% 58 8%

Science (SS) 43 30.5% 115 16%

Not Available 7 5.0%

Total 141 100% 733 100%

Staff Respondents34 staff members responded – a 5% response rate*

*but many staff would not be expected to respond, as their positions would not include familiarity with the final exam experience

Department Type Number Percent of Respondents

Academic 9 26.5%

Auxiliary 7 20.6%

Student Affairs/Support 17 50.0%

Almost 60% of freshmen, sophomore and junior respondents indicated that the number of reading days did not meet their needs◦ More students from the Schools of Engineering and Science felt

this way. A majority of faculty respondents (87%) indicated that they

felt their students had adequate time to prepare for finals. ◦ Most who felt students did not were from the Schools of Culture &

Society and Science. Most staff (74%) felt that students used the reading days

productively. Almost all faculty (94%) are available to students during

the reading period◦ Some (13%) only electronically

Reading Days

The number of reading days met my needs as a student in terms of preparing for final exams and/or completing final projects.

Freshmen Sophomore Junior Senior Supersenior

Question #1 disagree 0.53 0.650000000000001

0.59 0.45 0.34

Question #1 agree 0.47 0.35 0.41 0.55 0.660000000000001

5%

15%

25%

35%

45%

55%

65%

Student Responses to Item 1 by Class Level

Question #1 disagreeQuestion #1 agree

The number of reading days met my needs as a student in terms of preparing for final exams and/or completing final projects.

AM BN CS ED EG NH SS UK

Disagree 0.472222222222222

0.541353383458647

0.543237250554324

0.488479262672811

0.728813559322034

0.471074380165289

0.661064425770308

0.555555555555556

Agree 0.527777777777778

0.458646616541353

0.456762749445676

0.511520737327189

0.271186440677966

0.528925619834711

0.338935574229692

0.444444444444444

5%

15%

25%

35%

45%

55%

65%

75%

Student Responses to Item 1 by School

Do you feel that your students had adequate preparation time in the days leading up to their final exams?

AM BN CS UK ED EG NH SS

No 0.09 0.15 0.17 0 0 0 0 0.19

Yes 0.91 0.85 0.83 1 1 1 1 0.81

10%

30%

50%

70%

90%

110%

Faculty Response to Item 3 by School

From your interactions and observations of students through your department/office, do you feel students use the assigned reading days productively?

Academic Auxiliary Services Student Support/Affairs

No 0.38 0.17 0.24

Yes 0.63 0.83 0.76

5%

15%

25%

35%

45%

55%

65%

75%

85%

Staff Response to Item 2 by Department Type

Comment Type Number Percent

Needed more reading days 601 87%

Number of reading days for spring 08 was adequate

70 10%

Do not include weekends in reading days 89 13%

Problems with final exam scheduling 130 19%

No final exams/ papers on reading days 71 10%

Fall 07 final exam and reading days schedule better

43 6%

Student comment after reading days item

62% of freshmen, sophomores and juniors felt that the Spring 2008 exam schedule did not allow them to put forth their best effort. ◦ More than half the students from the School of the Arts and

Communication (56%) felt it did. Over half of the staff (67%) felt that students were

given the time and conditions to be successful on exams.◦ Those who didn’t noted the same issues as students, namely:

exam schedule was too “crunched” together; exam times were “too early or too late”; exams were scheduled for Monday evening - which students

thought of as a reading day.

“Best Effort”

The schedule for my final exams allowed me to put forth my best effort.

Freshmen Sophomore Junior Senior Supersenior

Question #2 % disagree 56 66 63 49 49

Question #2 % agree 44 34 37 51 51

5

15

25

35

45

55

65

Student Responses to Item 2 by Class Level

Question #2 % disagreeQuestion #2 % agree

The schedule for my final exams allowed me to put forth my best effort.

AM BN CS ED EG NH SS UK

Disagree 0.4306 0.5075 0.5831 0.5484 0.7627 0.562 0.7031 0.6667

Agree 0.5694 0.4925 0.4169 0.4516 0.2373 0.438 0.2969 0.3333

5.00%

15.00%

25.00%

35.00%

45.00%

55.00%

65.00%

75.00%

85.00%

Student Responses to Item 2 by School

Almost all students (90%) indicated that their professors gave them the full two hours and 50 minutes allotted to complete their final exam. ◦ More than half the students (63%), across all levels,

indicated that they did not need all the time.◦ More students from the School of Engineering (54%)

did use the full time Most of the faculty (87%) felt that the time

allotted for final exams was appropriate. ◦ Thirty five (25%) commented that the amount of time

allotted for exams was too long, ◦ Four (3%) commented that there was not enough time.

Exam Length